Owlbear
An owlbear (also owl bear) is a fictional creature originally created for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. An owlbear is depicted as a cross between a bear and an owl, which "hugs" like a bear and attacks with its beak. Inspired by a plastic toy made in Hong Kong,Greenwood, Ed, "Ecology of the Rust Monster." Dragon #88 (TSR, 1984). Account was later re-printed in the Ecology of the Rust Monster article in issue #346. Gary Gygax created the owlbear and introduced the creature to the game in the 1975 Greyhawk supplement;Gygax, Gary and Robert Kuntz. Supplement I: Greyhawk (TSR, 1975) the creature has since appeared in every subsequent edition of the game. Owlbears, or similar beasts, also appear in several other fantasy role-playing games, video games and other media. Creation In the early 1970s, Gary Gygax was playing Chainmail, a wargame that bore some precursors of Dungeons & Dragons. In order to give his players as many different challenges as possible, Gygax was always on the look-out for new monsters. Although he was able to draw on pulp fiction and sword and sorcery stories for many of them, he also looked through dime stores for figurines that could be used in battle. On one of those occasions, he came across a bag of small plastic toys euphemistically labeled "prehistoric animals". These were Hong Kong-made and the set included monsters from Japanese "Kaiju" films such as Ultraman and Godzilla franchise. Several of these were odd enough to catch his eye, and he used them to represent several new monsters, including the owlbear, the bulette and the rust monster.Gygax: "There was a set of plastic toys laughlingly labelled as dinosaurs I remember right. I frequented the local dime stores back in the late 60s and early 70s searching for toys that would suit tabletop fantasy gaming. The said bag contained three we incorporated—the bulette, the owl bear, and the rust monster." Concept The owlbear is depicted as an eight to ten foot (2.5–3 meter) tall cross between a bear and an owl. According to descriptions in Dungeons & Dragons source books, owlbears are carnivorous creatures, famed for their aggression and ferocity;Owlbear in the d20 SRD they live in mated pairs in caves and hunt any creature bigger than a mouse. They use a "hug" and their beak to attack. In the game's third edition, it was categorized as a "magical beast". The actual in-game origin of the owlbear has never been definitively revealed, but the various Monster Manual editions indicate that it is probably the product of a wizard's experiments. Within the franchise's mythology, the lich Thessalar claims to have created them, but his insanity and egomania put the accuracy of this claim in doubt.Jacobs, James. "Into the Wormcrawl Fissure." Dungeon #134 (Pazio Publishing, 2006) In the 5th edition, some elves claim that owlbears have existed for millennia and older fey say that they have always existed in the Feywild. Within the Dungeons & Dragons system and in other role-playing games, the owlbear usually serves as a "monster". Within the context of RPGs, "monster" is a generic term to describe potentially hostile beings and obstacles for the players to overcome.Slavicsek, Bill and Richard Baker. Dungeons & Dragons for Dummies (Wiley Publishing, 2005) This role is also the one the owlbear was originally designed for. Publication history The owlbear is among the earliest monsters in Dungeons & Dragons, and, like the bulette and the rust monster, was inspired by a Hong Kong-made plastic toy purchased by Gary Gygax for use as a miniature in a Chainmail game. ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (1974–1976) The owl bear was introduced to the game in its first supplement, Greyhawk (1975). It is described as a "horrid creature" which "hugs" like a bear, and deals damage with its beak. The owlbear is also listed on random encounter tables in Eldritch Wizardry, the third supplement.Gygax, Gary and Brian Blume. Supplement III: Eldritch Wizardry (TSR, 1976) ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 1st edition (1977–1988) The owlbear appears in the first edition Monster Manual (1977), where it is described as a "horrible creature that inhabits tangled forest regions, and attacks with its great claws and snapping beak". The illustration of the owlbear shown in the Monster Manual was done by David C. Sutherland III. ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (1977–1999) This edition of the'' D&D'' game included its own owl bear, in the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (1981 and 1983).Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson 1974, edited by Tom Moldvay. Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (TSR, 1981)Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson 1974, edited by Frank Mentzer. Dungeons & Dragons Set 1: Basic Rules (TSR, 1983) The owl bear was also later featured in the Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1991),Brown, Timothy B., Troy Denning The New Easy to Master Dungeons & Dragons Game (TSR, 1991) the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991),Allston, Aaron, Steven E. Schend, Jon Pickens, and Dori Watry. Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (TSR, 1991) the Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1994),Brown, Timothy B., Troy Denning The Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game (TSR, 1994) and the Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game set (1999).Slavicsek, Bill. Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game (TSR, 1999) ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 2nd edition (1989–1999) The owlbear appears first in the Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989),Cook, David, et al. Monstrous Compendium Volume One (TSR, 1989) and is reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).Stewart, Doug, ed. Monstrous Manual (TSR, 1994) The owlbear appeared in the Dark Sun setting in the adventure Black Spine (1994).Baas, Walter, Dustin Browder, Tom Prusa, Jonathan Tweet. Black Spine (TSR, 1994) The owlbear was detailed in Dragon #214 (February 1995), in "The Ecology of the Owlbear", which also included the arctic owlbear and the winged owlbear.Richards, Jonathan M. "The Ecology of the Owlbear." Dragon #214 (TSR, 1995) These variants were later reprinted in the Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Three (1996).Pickens, Jon, ed. Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Three (TSR, 1996) The greater owlbear appeared in an adventure in Dungeon #63 (July 1997).Doyle, Chris. "Hunt for a Hierophant" Dungeon #63 (TSR, 1997) ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 3.0 edition (2000–2002) The owlbear appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000).Cook, Monte, Jonathan Tweet, and Skip Williams. Monster Manual (Wizards of the Coast, 2000) The owlbear appeared on the Wizards of the Coast website for the Chainmail game, in 2000.Battle Sheets! The winged owlbear in adult and juvenile form appeared in Dungeon #84 (January 2001).Doyle, Chris. "The Dying of the Light" Dungeon #84 (Wizards of the Coast, 2001) The supplemental book Unapproachable East features a feat, an ability that player characters can obtain, named "owlbear berserker" that allows a player character to use a ferocious owlbear-like fighting style.Baker, Richard, Matt Forbeck, and Sean K. Reynolds. Unapproachable East (Wizards of the Coast, 2003) ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 3.5 edition (2003–2007) The owlbear appears in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003) as well as the owlbear skeleton under the skeleton entry.Williams, Skip, ed. Monster Manual: Core Rulebook III v.3.5 (Wizards of the Coast, 2003) The ancient owlbear appeared in Dungeon #107 (February 2004).Brown, Rusell. "Mellorn Hospitality" Dungeon #107 (Wizards of the Coast, 2004) The Ankholian owlbear appeared in the Dragonlance, Bestiary of Krynn''Banks, Cam, André La Roche. ''Bestiary of Krynn (Sovereign Press, 2004) (2004) and the Revised Bestiary of Krynn (2007).Banks, Cam, André La Roche. Bestiary of Krynn Revised (Sovereign Press, 2007) ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 4th edition (2008–2014) The owlbear appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008) along with the winterclaw owlbear.Mearls, Mike, Stephen Schubert, and James Wyatt. Monster Manual (Wizards of the Coast, 2008) The flavor text mentions that owlbears can be tamed to serve as guards. ''Dungeons & Dragons Essentials'' (2010–) The Monster Vault boxed set contains the owlbear as well as various subtypes like the young owlbear, trained owlbear, wind-claw owlbear and again the winterclaw owlbear.Thompson, Rodney, Logan Bonner, and Matthew Sernett. Monster Vault (Wizards of the Coast, 2010) The cover of the monster book included in the box and the box itself feature an owlbear alongside other monsters.[https://www.wizards.com/dnd/Product.aspx?x=dnd/products/dndacc/244650000 Monster Vault – An Essential D&D Game Supplement at the Wizards of the Coast official website] ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 5th edition (2014–) In May 2012, Wizards of the Coast employee Jon Schindehette announced that the inclusion and design of the owlbear for the upcoming fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons was being discussed. The monster was included in the "bestiary" of the D&D Next Playtest Package,Official D&D Next Playtest Package Bestiary, version from January 28, 2013 a compilation of files available for gamers interested in playtesting this Dungeons & Dragons version before its official release. The owlbear is included in the Monster Manual of the full release of the game, published in 2014. The flavor text states that remote settlements have used owlbears for racing, and it also states the fact that owlbears are more likely to attack their tamer, than actually begin the race. In other role-playing games ''Pathfinder Roleplaying Game'' The owlbear is an official monster in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game,Bestiary on the Pathfinder RPG Official Homepage based on Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 edition. It is included in the game's first bestiary, and elaborated on in Dungeon Denizens Revisited. Dungeon Denizens Revisited also includes a variant named siege owlbear.Boomer, Clinton, Jason Bulmahn, Joshua J. Frost, Nicolas Logue, Robert McCreary, Jason Nelson, Richard Pett, Sean K Reynolds, James L. Sutter, and Greg A. Vaughan. Dungeon Denizens Revisited – A Pathfinder Chronicles Supplement (Paizo Publishing, 2009)Official Siege Owlbear entry on Pathfinder SRD Furthermore, Paizo released a part of the series Behind the Monsters[http://paizo.com/store/byCompany/t/trickyOwlbearPublishing/behindTheMonsters Behind the Monsters at Paizo.com] dedicated to the owlbear, which features the bearowl, the possibly "even stranger offspring" of an owlbear.Boyd, Bret. Behind the Monsters: Owlbear (Paizo Publishing, 2007) Additional official Pathfinder variants of the owlbear are the arctic owlbear, Darklands owlbear, fruss owlbear, great hook-clawed owlbear, screaming owlbear, sleeyk owlbear,Official Sleeyk Owlbear entry on Pathfinder SRD slime owlbear, sloth owlbear as well as the spectral owlbear.Official Owlbear entry on Pathfinder SRD The adventure module Pathfinder #7 – Curse of the Crimson Throne Chapter 1: "Edge of Anarchy"''Logue, Nicolas. ''Pathfinder #7 – Curse of the Crimson Throne Chapter 1: "Edge of Anarchy" (Paizo Publishing, 2008) originally published by Paizo Publishing for Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 edition under the OGLPathfinder #7 – Curse of the Crimson Throne Chapter 1: "Edge of Anarchy" at Paizo.com contains a taxidermic owlbear. It is a regular owlbear with the skeleton template allowing the game master to turn a regular monster into an undead one.Official Owlbear Skeleton entry on Pathfinder SRD A skeletal owlbear illustration was also done by Goodman Games artist Nick Greenwood. Retro-clones and OSR RPGs As only the design of a role-playing game, not the rules are protected by U.S. copyright law, it is possible for third-party publishers to release RPG systems based on the rules of Dungeons & Dragons without using the actual name or trademarks associated with the brand. These systems are referred to as "retro-clones" or "simulacra". Games not directly using rules of a Dungeons & Dragons edition but claiming to capture the style are often called Old School Renaissance (OSR) games. The following retro-clones and OSR systems feature the owlbear as an opponent: *''Swords & Wizardry'', modelled after the original Dungeons & Dragons from 1974 and published by Mythmere Games.Finch, Matthew J. Swords & Wizardry Monster Book (Self-published, 2008) *''Labyrinth Lords'' by Goblinoid Games.Proctor, Daniel. Labyrinth Lords – Classic Fantasy Roleplaying Game of Labyrinths, Magic, and Monsters fourth revised edition (Goblinoid Games, 2009) *''Dark Dungeons'', Darker Dungeons and Darkest Dungeons (later renamed Blood, Guts and Glory) by Gratis Games all include the owlbear in their bestiary.Blacky the Blackball. Dark Dungeons (Gratis Games, 2010)Blacky the Blackball. Darker Dungeons (Gratis Games, 2011)Blacky the Blackball. Darkest Dungeons (Gratis Games, 2012) *''OSRIC, a system emulating ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.Marshall, Stuart. OSRIC – Old School Reference and Index Compilation v2.2 (Knights & Knaves, 2011) *''Mazes & Perils'', inspired by the 1977 Holmes version of Dungeons & Dragons.Florio, Vincent, Bryan Manahan, Mike Stewart and Michael Thomas. Mazes & Perisl (Wild Games Productions, 2012) *''Adventurer Conqueror King'' by Autarch.Allison, Tavis, Alexander Macris, Greg Tito. Adventurer Conqueror King System (Autarch, 2012) *''Dungeon Crawl Classics'' by Goodman Games.Curtis, Michael, Joseph Goodman, Harley Stroh, Dieter Zimmerman. Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game (Autarch, 2012) *In Basic Fantasy, the owlbear appearsGonnerman, Chris, Ray Allen, William D. Smith, Jr., Nick Bogan, Evan Moore, Stuart Marshall, Emiliano Marchetti, Antonio Eleuteri, Luigi Castellani, Michael Hensley, Nazim N. Karaca, Arthur Reyes, Todd Roe, and Jim Bobb. Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game 2nd Edition (Release 75, 2008) together with the fire-breathing owlbear.Gonnerman, Chris, Ray Allen, Ola Berg, James D. Jarvis, R. Kevin Smoot, Omer Golan-Joel, D. Bamberger, MtBlack, Maliki, Bill Beatty, Sidney Parham, and J. D. Neal. The Basic Fantasy Field Guide of Creatures Malevolent and Benign (Release 2, 2010) *''Microlite74 Basic'', Standard and Extended all have owlbears as monsters.Stukey, Randall S. Microlite74 Basic Version 3.0 (Self-published, 2011)Stukey, Randall S. Microlite74 Standard Version 3.0 (Self-published, 2011)Stukey, Randall S. Microlite74 Extended Version 3.0 (Self-published, 2011) *''For Gold & Glory'', emulating Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition.Brown, Justen. For Gold & Glory (Self-published, 2011) *''Castles & Crusades'' by Troll Lord Games.Chenault, Stephen, Robert Doyel. Castles & Crusades Monsters & Treasure (Troll Lord Games, 2005) *''Burning THAC0'',Crane, Luke, Thor Olavsu, Anthony Hersey and Peter Tierney. Burning THAC0 (Self-published, 2005) a variation of The Burning Wheel. Other systems A male half-owlbear, half-blue dragon hybrid named Dragore is featured as an antagonist in the Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 supplement Foul Locales: Beyond the Walls by Mystic Eye Games.Boyd, Bret, Charles W. Plemons III, John White. Foul Locales: Beyond the Walls (Mystic Eye Games, 2002) The Manual of Monsters for Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game suggest to use the owlbear as an opponent.Borgstrom, Rebecca, Eric Brennan, Genevieve Cogman, and Michael Goodwin. Manual of Monsters (Sword & Sorcery, 2003) A Warcraft-exclusive owlbear-like creature named wildkin is included as well. Later on, Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game was renamed World of Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game. This edition's Monster Guide, equivalent to the Manual of Monsters, includes the owlbear-like "wildkin" described as a benign creature and associated with the game's Night Elf faction. A larger and more ferocious subtype listed is the "owlbeast".Cassada, Jackie, Brandon Crowley, Richard Farrese, Bob Fitch, Bruce Graw, Luke Johnson, Adam Loyd, Andrew Rowe, and Amber E. Scott. Manual Guide (Sword & Sorcery, 2007) A third-party Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition quick reference card for the owlbear has been published as part of a series of Monster Knowledge Cards.Thomson, Connie J., Robert W. Thomson. GM's Aid IV: Monster Knowledge Cards Volume 2: Gargoyle to Owlbear (4 Winds Fantasy Gaming, 2009) The owlbears appears in the HackMaster 4th edition Hacklopedia of Beasts Volume VI''Blackburn, Jolly R., Brian Jelke, Steve Johansson, and David S. Kenzer. ''Hacklopcedia of Beasts Volume VI (Kenzer & Company, 2001) and the HackMaster 5th edition Hacklopedia of Beasts.Blackburn, Jolly R., Brian Jelke, Steve Johansson, and David S. Kenzer. Hacklopcedia of Beasts (Kenzer and Company, 2011) Variants included are the lesser owlbear, great horned owlbear and the spotted owlbear. The HackMaster adventure module Little Keep on the Borderlands features owlbears as enemies and an owlbear on the cover.Blackburn, Jolly R., Brian Jelke, Steve Johansson, David S. Kenzer, Noah Kolman, Jamie LaFountain, and Don Morgan. B2: Little Keep on the Borderlands (Kenzer and Company, 2002) Blood & Treasure, modelled after Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition, features the owlbear as an opponent.Stater, John. Blood & Treasure: Treasure Keeper's Tome (Self-published, 2012)Stater, John. Blood & Treasure: Complete Game (Self-published, 2012) In video games ''Dungeons & Dragons''-licensed games Several video games based on Dungeons & Dragons feature the owlbear: * The owlbear appears as a regular enemy in the arcade beat 'em up Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom[http://www.arcadequartermaster.com/capcom/ddtod_enemies.html Tower of Doom list of enemies at Arcade Quartermaster] as well as in its sequel Shadow over Mystara.[http://www.arcadequartermaster.com/capcom/ddsom_enemies.html Shadow over Mystara list of enemies at Arcade Quartermaster] The games were later re-released in a bundle for the Sega Saturn as the Dungeons & Dragons Collection.[http://www.mobygames.com/game/dungeons-dragons-collection Dungeons & Dragons Collection at MobyGames] * As of update 19, the MMORPG Dungeons & Dragons Online (originally released as Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach) contains owlbears as combat foes and hireling pets. * The owlbear makes an appearance in Dungeons & Dragons Tactics for the PlayStation Portable. * Owlbears appear in Curse of the Azure Bonds, Forgotten Realms: Unlimited Adventures and Neverwinter Nights, which are all part of the so-called Gold Box series of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons video games by SSI. Some or all of these titles are also included in a number of collected editions of Gold Box games. * The owlbear is a regular opponent in Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun, which was developed for the Sega Genesis by Westwood Associates in 1992. * The owlbear is an epic rarity ridable mount in Neverwinter. ''Warcraft'' franchise Adaptations of the owlbear appear in the Warcraft universe in several forms: * Non-player characters known as "wildkin" appear in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and its expansion The Frozen Throne. Variants are the enraged wildkin and berserk wildkin. The actual term "owlbear" is only used in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and its manual,Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos User Manual (Blizzard Entertainment, 2002) and not used in its expansion. * The MMORPG World of Warcraft contains a variety of owlbear-like creatures named "wildkin", mostly as NPCs. The alternative term "owlkin" is used of wildkin living in the fictional Ammen Vale. A variant is the mutated owlkin. A more powerful wildkin is the owlbeast, with deranged owlbeast and raging owlbeast being subtypes. Some wildkin are also called "moonkin", which is also a creature players of the druid class can transform into. A quest for players with the druid class involves defeating a moonkin named Lunaclaw. Other games * Owlbears can be found in the roguelike computer games NetHack, and ADOM. It also appears in the text-based MMORPG BatMUD. * The owlbear is an opponent in the Famicom game The Quest of Ki, a puzzle-platformer from the Babylonian Castle Saga released exclusively in Japan. * In Wildtangent's FATE, owlbears are enemies in the game's first version. However, they were replaced by a similar monster called a shrike. * Owlbears appear as mobs in the MMORPG EverQuest: The Shadows of Luclin in nineteen variants.EverQuest Bestiary at EverQuest Allakhazam They are also featured in its sequel EverQuest II. Here, variants include the ash owlbear, cinder, pawcrusher and foulfeather as well as female and elder owlbears.EverQuest II Bestiary at MMO Database * The online collectible card game Legends of Norrath based on EverQuest features an ash owlbear card.[ht tp://legendsofnorrath.station.sony.com/community.vm?Id=605 Hunt for Foulfeather Once Again in the Legends of Norrath February Retro-Replay Scenario! at the Legends of Norrath official website] * An enemy named "owl bear" appears early into the Master System game Phantasy Star. It resembles an eyeball with bat wings, however, and is called "devil bat" in the original Japanese version. * The owlbear is a monster in the 1992 SNES game Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride by Enix (later Square Enix).[http://www.woodus.com/den/games/dq5snes/monsters.php Dragon Quest V (SNES) Bestiary at Dragon's Den] The monster is also included in the later remakes for the PlayStation 2[http://www.woodus.com/den/games/dq5ps2/monsters.php Dragon Quest V (PS2) Bestiary at Dragon's Den] and the Nintendo DS[http://www.woodus.com/den/games/dq5ds/monsters.php Dragon Quest V (Nintendo DS) Bestiary at Dragon's Den] Additionally, the Nintendo DS version features a stronger, purple variant called growlbear. * In the PlayStation 2 game Wild Arms 5, the owlbear appears as a common enemy. * Tales of Destiny II for the PlayStation 2 features owl bears (オウルベア in the Japanese original).[http://www.abyssalchronicles.com/guides/tod2pspguidekouli.php Tales of Destiny II Guide at AbyssalChronicles.com] * Owlbears appear as enemies in the game, Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis. * There are also owlbears as enemies in Final Fantasy XII. The Japanese original uses the term "owlbear", whereas the English localisation calls the creature "urstrix".Sage Knowledge 30 of 78 (Urstrix Bestiary entry). * Owlbears are the protagonists of the 2011 browser game Owlbear Garden. * The owlbear is featured on a "monster card", a gameplay element in the MMO Kingdom Conquest by Sega.[http://kingdom-conquest.jp/en/infoa/news/?mode=view&id=132 Kingdom Conquest Official Homepage] * The online game Kingdom Quest by Funzio features owlbears as opponents. * Another MMO, Lineage, includes owlbears with various levels of strength as well as a variant named "valley owlbear".[http://www.linlib.com/lineage-monsters.php?cat=&type=Normal&class=&us=yes Lineage Library Monster Index] * In the PlayStation 3 game Dragon's Crown, owlbears appear as a mob. *Owlbears appear in the roguelike game Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead as a dangerous enemy In other media * The owlbear was card #107 of 750 in the 1991 TSR trading cards factory set, and card #117 of 495 in the 1993 TSR trading cards factory set. * The Harbinger set, the first set of miniatures for the Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures Game, a collectible miniatures game, has an owlbear miniature.[http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4new/harbinger Mini Galleries Archive: Harbinger at the Wizards of the Coast official website] The Blood War set has monster named owlbear ranger. The Against the Giants set includes a furious owlbear.[http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd/mg/atg Mini Galleries Archive: Against the Giants at the Wizards of the Coast official website] * In 2012, Wizards of the Coast released a new version of the 1975 adventure board game Dungeon! which features owlbears as opponents. * Also released in 2012 by Wizards of the Coast, the game Lords of Waterdeep features a quest card called "domesticate owlbears". * The owlbear was depicted in the webcomic The Order of the Stick, where it was presented as a pointless cross between an already dangerous creature (a bear) and a harmless animal (an owl).[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0322.html The Order of the Stick #322 by Rich Burlew] * A creature called a "nightripper" appears in Sagard the Barbarian #2: The Green Hydra game book by Gary Gygax. The nightripper is described and illustrated as a bear with an owl's head but with talons for forepaws. An illustration of it can be found prefacing section 12: The Kingdom Of Darkness.Nightripper in Sagard the Barbarian * In Tabletop, the owlbear often pops up in the background or even as a censoring cover image during season two, from the "Lords of Waterdeep" episode onward. Beginning in season three, the owlbear also appears to point out when gameplay does not match the official rules. * In Douglas Niles' novel, Darkwell, an owlbear is born from the putrid Darkwell, as a child of Bhaal as a sin against nature. Reception Chris Sims of the on-line magazine Comics Alliance referred to the owlbear as "the second-greatest monster in the history of D&D". Dave Chalker from Critical-Hits.com, a RPG blog which won the Ennie Gold 2011 Ennie Award for Best Blog,2011 Noms and Winners of the Ennie Awards recommended the use of the owlbear as a monster. Rob Bricken from io9 named the owlbear as the sixth most memorable D&D monster. References Category:Dungeons & Dragons magical beasts Category:Dungeons & Dragons standard creatures Category:Fictional bears Category:Fictional owls